"Where is the Hall Master? I will go meet him immediately," Wang Xuan said.
"At Qingfeng Pavilion, don't be delayed." Chen Qingniu wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth, his demeanor graceful like that of a wine immortal.
Wang Xuan left quickly, leaving only Chen Qingniu, Zhao Huang, and Liu Gang behind. As for the passing students, they hurried away, not daring to stay upon seeing Chen Qingniu.
Chen Qingniu, the senior disciple of the Martial Arts Hall, was the leader among all the disciples. Whether in terms of status or strength, none of them could compare to him.
"Senior Brother." Zhao Huang and Liu Gang were respectful, not daring to show any disrespect, even though they usually followed another higher-up.
"Hmm." Chen Qingniu nodded and raised his eyebrows. "A senior from Immortal Martial Mountain will be visiting soon. His status is beyond your imagination, so nothing should go wrong in the Martial Arts Hall, especially on a day like today. Understand?"
Immortal Martial Mountain is the ancestral home of the Immortal Martial Combat Hall on the entire Mother Star, considered the true core. Only true prodigies and strong individuals can enter.
As for the Immortal Martial Combat Hall, even those who have just reached the level of Land Immortals as Vice Hall Masters are actually only part of the Outer Sect, not truly orthodox.
The true disciples of Immortal Martial Mountain have only reached the third generation, numbering no more than a thousand.
The two nodded quickly, "Understood."
Sweat dripped from their foreheads, fearing punishment from the senior brother. With the senior brother's status, only elder-level figures could interfere in his decisions.
"If something truly happens, someone won't be willing to get his hands dirty to help you lot. Don't rush to take the blame."
As Chen Qingniu gradually left, Zhao Huang and Liu Gang, who had been extremely respectful earlier, straightened their backs and quickly contacted Senior Brother Sun En, the higher-up they followed.
After briefly talking about today's incidents, they mentioned Chen Qingniu, "Senior Brother Sun, does Senior Brother already know what we did? After all, it's not glorious. If it really gets out, Liu Gang and I might be in serious trouble."
"So what if he knows? It's just a trivial matter. Continue collecting money for me; otherwise, what's the use of having you?
As for that Wang Xuan, I'll contact the Invincible Iron Fist Gang to cripple him, so he doesn't have to appear in the Martial Arts Hall anymore. For such a small matter, the Invincible Iron Fist Gang should give me face."
Hearing that still arrogant voice, Zhao Huang Liu Gang felt much relieved, especially Zhao Huang. The thought of receiving that punch from Wang Xuan made him lose face entirely, a sinister smile revealing itself as he awaited Wang Xuan's misfortune.
...
Qingfeng Pavilion was in a tranquil spot under the shade of trees, surrounded by the villas of the elders. Generally, no one except some high-level personnel of the Martial Arts Hall would come here.
At this moment, a person was sitting in Qingfeng Pavilion, pouring tea from a teapot. Once Wang Xuan saw the middle-aged man, he respectfully saluted him, as the Hall Master had already prepared two cups of tea and gestured for Wang Xuan to sit down.
"Come, have a cup of tea."
The Hall Master was an amiable person, and a cup of tea was placed before Wang Xuan. Just from the scent, Wang Xuan knew that this tea was not something like his ordinary Spirit Tea that cost a hundred thousand per pound.
Even though the Hall Master was easygoing, without the airs and authority of a bigshot, Wang Xuan was still nervous. The man in front of him was the strongest in this Martial Arts Hall, a Land Immortal beyond ordinary.
"Young one is anxious and doesn't know why the Hall Master is seeking me?" Wang Xuan asked.
The Hall Master was a handsome middle-aged man, resembling Chen Qingniu somewhat. After tasting a cup of tea, he looked at Wang Xuan.
"I already know about the matter involving the Sword Cultivators of Celestial Sword Mountain. You are quite courageous, but a bit too young, underestimating that person's viciousness."
As the Hall Master spoke, he suddenly extended his hand, placing his palm atop Wang Xuan's head. Even though Wang Xuan saw it clearly, he couldn't avoid it.
With a slap, Wang Xuan, who broke out in cold sweat, realized his head wasn't shattered. Instead, a Sword Qi flew out, slicing through a stone pillar as thick as a waist with a puff.
"Him!" Wang Xuan felt a lingering fear. That young sword cultivator was so ruthless to have planted such a trick on him.
The Hall Master nodded, "Indeed, it was his doing. The Sword Qi hid inside your brain, destined to erupt in a few days, causing your sudden death."
"Thank you, Hall Master, for saving my life." Wang Xuan bowed deeply, truly grateful, his hatred for the young sword cultivator growing hundreds and thousands of times. Unless he kills that person, he cannot quell the hatred in his heart!
The Hall Master said, "Immortal Martial Mountain, Celestial Sword Mountain, and Precious Light Temple are the three immortal influences of our Divine Land.
As a true disciple of Celestial Sword Mountain, he should do the rightful thing, yet he did such a malicious thing out of selfishness. His future will not end well."
Among the three powers, people as tyrannical and unreasonable as him are rare, but such a one emerged here, truly a coincidence.
"I will remember," Wang Xuan knew the Hall Master was advising him for his own good, worrying he might act rashly.
He bore this vendetta firmly in mind, vowing not to spare that person if the opportunity arises in the future.
The Hall Master suddenly shook his head, feeling a bit regretful about Wang Xuan, "Your innate talent was originally good, with the gift of Innate Divine Strength, a good seed for cultivation. Unfortunately, your foundation is damaged, riddled with holes, which is detrimental to cultivation.
Otherwise, after so many years, you might have already surpassed the Body Refining Seventh Realm.
The cultivation technique circulating within you is good for Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence, having repaired much of the damaged foundation, but it's merely a drop in the bucket."
Wang Xuan sighed internally as well and said, "The Hall Master has sharp vision. I injured my foundation due to an accident in my youth, and have been striving to repair it over the years, spending a lot of effort and resources.
Unfortunately, it's still to no avail."
Over the years, he served as a sniper in the Hunting Team, taking on mission after mission, risking his life to earn millions of Star Yuan, and purchased many Miracle Elixirs, all in the pursuit of repairing his broken foundation.
Yet, all these years merely allowed his foundation to be reassembled like broken porcelain. It might hold water, but leaks would occur, and under pressure, it would shatter again.
"The cultivation technique I practice is called the Life Generating Technique, a gift from Brother Daoming," Wang Xuan said.
"Li Daoming, that kid? When he used to visit the Martial Arts Hall, he was always carefree, liked to show off, but never trained seriously. Recently, his father sent him to the military; I don't know if he'll ever come back.
He has great talent, but unfortunately, he's unfocused. Hopefully, he'll be tempered in the military and become useful."
After chatting for so long, the Hall Master finally asked about the young sword cultivator that Wang Xuan mentioned. Upon hearing the details, the Hall Master frowned deeply.
"Meiling? Are you sure he went to the Leaping Tiger Ravine at Meiling?" the Hall Master asked repeatedly.
Wang Xuan nodded heavily, "The old man indeed said so. What a pity for such a large Sword-Sharpening Stone to be taken by that guy from Celestial Sword Mountain."
However, the Hall Master was concerned about the young sword cultivator going to the Leaping Tiger Ravine at Meiling, and his brow furrowed deeper.
"You should return now," the Hall Master waved his hand, looking troubled, causing Wang Xuan to feel puzzled.
Soon after, the Hall Master picked up his personal terminal and began sending messages. It wasn't long before he got a reply.
"Go quickly, drive him away."
The Hall Master sighed, "What an unexpected complication."
Wang Xuan left. The entire Martial Arts Hall had been very strict lately, with many rules that had to be followed rigorously, all to welcome the arrival of an important figure.
As a training partner, Wang Xuan didn't have much to do. When the instructor lectured a group of students, he would join the free lessons, and during practical training, he would either demonstrate to the students or act as their opponent.
The students' strength was generally ordinary, much stronger than regular people, easily taking on three or five opponents, but they were only at the Muscle Training Realm.
Wang Xuan could easily defeat ten of these guys with one hand. A day passed easily. In ancient times, he was confident he could fight a hundred or even a thousand men, killing a hundred men would not be a difficult task.
At five in the afternoon, Wang Xuan left the Martial Arts Hall and returned home. He was a bit surprised that Zhao Huang hadn't come to trouble him again, which was very uncharacteristic of him.
Recalling the strand of Sword Qi within him, Wang Xuan realized he had narrowly escaped death at the Ghost Gate but wondered about the old man who sold the Sword-Sharpening Stone.
Wang Xuan tried to contact him to remind him but was surprised to find he couldn't, as the old man's personal terminal seemed to be off, which left Wang Xuan, with his good intentions, shaking his head.
In his bedroom, Wang Xuan took out his sniper rifle, his emotions gradually calming. The two-meter-long sniper rifle, with one shot, could pierce through an entire building; a mere three walls couldn't stop it.
This rifle had always been his means of survival. With a gun in hand, he felt immensely confident, capable of taking lives from three kilometers away, blowing up a bulletproof car, or penetrating five-centimeter-thick steel plates on close-range enemies with a single shot.
But for years, he had been practicing with the rifle as a last resort because his Martial Arts Realm had been difficult to advance. Ultimately, he chose to become a sniper as a supplementary method for Martial Dao.
Nowadays, the accelerator in his mind finally found its place, Wang Xuan's blood began to warm, and he hoped that from now on, his destiny could change.
Name: Wang Xuan
Age: 24
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 90 kg
...
Cultivation Skills: Minor Achievement in Mixed Element Stance (acceleratable), Minor Achievement in Golden Bell Shield (acceleratable), Great Success in Fierce Bull Fist (acceleratable)...
Source Point: 100
The character panel appeared, and the unchanging Source Point was finally no longer zero.
Wang Xuan looked at the 100 Source Points, not knowing what this number represented or how long it would last him. At this time, he chose to be cautious, not daring to be careless.
"I possess many cultivation skills, but the one with the biggest impact on my combat power is the Fierce Bull Fist. The Mixed Element Stance strengthens the foundation and expands the essence, the Golden Bell Shield is for defense, and the primary cultivation technique is focused on repairing my damaged foundation."
He had practiced the Fierce Bull Fist and Mixed Element Stance for many years, and getting slightly stronger had little impact on him. Improving the Golden Bell Shield was hard. Even at the current Minor Achievement level, coupled with his innate divine strength, his defense wasn't inferior at the Peak of Skin Refining.
After pondering for a long time, Wang Xuan suddenly laughed, "Thinking too much, I truly worried about gains and losses. Isn't the most important thing repairing the foundation? And isn't it because of the damaged foundation that skills like Mixed Element Stance, Fierce Bull Fist, and Golden Bell Shield can't improve?"
The foundation was indeed the greatest limitation, a ceiling that prevented the enhancement of many cultivation skills.
Without further hesitation, Wang Xuan heavily clicked on the 'acceleratable' label after Life Generating Technique.
Clicking it then revealed two options. The first was the acceleration's Source Point, selectable from one to a hundred points, and the second was choosing the realm.
Wang Xuan had been cultivating Life Generating Technique for two years; unfortunately, due to his body's condition, practicing this life-force-stimulating technique was particularly challenging, so he hovered at the first layer. In the realm selection, he chose the second layer, and another option showed that acceleration would require thirty Source Points.
Obviously, accelerating to the second layer would consume thirty Source Points, and compared to his hundred points, this was a significant expenditure.